Gentle Self-care Tips for Introverts Seeking Balance

Introverts often find peace and energy in moments of solitude, making self-care a vital part of maintaining their overall well-being. By embracing routines that promote calm and relaxation, introverts can focus on nurturing both their body and mind. Prioritizing these quiet practices can help create a healthier and more balanced life.

Commit to a Consistent Routine

Consistency is vital for maintaining a self-care routine that benefits you long-term. Setting a regular schedule for your self-care activities helps you to build habits that become second nature. Whether it’s setting aside time each morning for meditation or scheduling a weekly break for a hobby you love, a consistent routine ensures that you always have time carved out for yourself. When you make these activities a non-negotiable part of your daily or weekly schedule, you’re more likely to stick with them and reap their benefits.

Energize Yourself with Enjoyable Activities

Kickstart your self-care regimen with activities that recharge your spirit, particularly if you’re an introvert. Engage in solitary or serene pursuits like reading, journaling, or nature walks that leave you refreshed and revitalized. Pinpoint the activities that cultivate peace and satisfaction for you, and weave them into your daily routine as your primary revitalizers.

Recharge with Solitude

One of the most important aspects of self-care for introverts is ensuring that you have enough alone time to recharge. Solitude is not just a preference but a necessity for your mental and emotional well-being. Whether it’s spending a quiet evening alone or taking a solo weekend getaway, make sure you regularly have the opportunity to disconnect from the outside world and reconnect with yourself. This time alone helps you process your thoughts and emotions, ultimately leading to greater peace and clarity.

Ensure You Get Restful Sleep

Good sleep is essential for any self-care regimen, particularly for introverts who need quiet downtime to recharge. Establish a serene bedtime routine that might include reading, mindfulness, or listening to gentle music to unwind before sleep. Make sure your sleeping environment is conducive to rest, free from any distractions, and tailored for comfort. By prioritizing restful sleep, you provide your body and mind the necessary recovery time, preparing you optimally for each new day.

Strategically Approach a New Career Path

A fresh career path can provide a sense of renewal and personal growth, which positively impacts mental well-being. A polished resume that reflects both skills and experience is essential when seeking these opportunities. It’s important to understand how to write a resume that aligns with your goals, ensuring it showcases your strengths. Using free resources can guide you through the process of creating a document that stands out to potential employers.

Embrace Saying No

An essential part of self-care for introverts is learning to say no. Overcommitting to social events or obligations can leave you feeling drained and overwhelmed. It’s important to recognize your limits and give yourself permission to decline invitations or requests that don’t align with your needs or energy levels. Saying no is not a sign of weakness; rather, it’s a powerful tool for preserving your well-being. By setting boundaries and respecting your own capacity, you ensure that you have the time and energy to focus on what truly matters to you.

Overcome Social Anxiety with Online Learning

Advancing your education can be a powerful way to unlock new career opportunities. By taking small steps toward further learning, you can build a future that aligns with your aspirations. The flexibility of online education allows you to grow professionally while maintaining the space you need for personal comfort. For example, those in nursing who seek to expand their expertise and earning capacity may find that an RN to BSN online degree offers the chance to advance at their own pace through virtual classes. Ensure any program you choose is accredited and offers competitive tuition.

Completion

Building a self-care plan that suits your introverted nature requires careful consideration of your unique needs and preferences. By engaging in activities that energize you, maintaining a consistent routine, and ensuring ample time for rest and solitude, you can create a balanced and fulfilling lifestyle. Whether you’re returning to school, changing careers, or simply looking to improve your daily life, these strategies will help you prioritize your well-being and thrive on your own terms.

Experience healing and self-awareness with trauma-informed astrology through  Astro Dharma. Join our supportive community by participating in free discussion groups and exploring our transformative courses.

This article was written and compiled by Camille Johnson. Thank you Camille for your contributions to this blog!

Free Discussion Group Friday Aug 2nd

Hello Friends,

Here is the zoom link to the Discussion Group on Friday. We are meeting this Friday at 11 am Eastern time.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82508807291?pwd=4wwGuM4K46Wm6EQQNQUMe5dZ70TpM8.1

We will discuss upcoming courses and events, and then we will unpack How to stay grounded and practice quality self-care when working with trauma! And there will be time for questions and answers.

The plan is to record this, so it will be on YouTube within a couple weeks.

Hope to see you there!

Kirby & the Trauma Informed Astrology Team

Upcoming Free Discussion Groups for Trauma Informed Astrology

Hello Friends,

Just a reminder (or in case you didn’t see it last week), I am hosting several Free Discussion Groups to discuss upcoming offerings from Trauma Informed Astrology – courses, workshops, and certification programs.

If this interests you, I hope to see you in one or more of these groups! To register, join our Newsletter – http://www.traumainformedastrology.com The Zoom links will be sent out very soon for the first meeting (August 2nd).

We will meet on Fridays – Aug 2nd & 23rd; and in September on the 6th & 20th at 11 AM Eastern time.

If you are interested and these days or times don’t work for you, feel free to email me at kirby [at] mkirbymoore [dot] com.

Hope to see you there!

Kirby on behalf of the Trauma Informed Astrology team

Special Offer to Sign Up for the Trauma Informed Astrology Newsletter

Hello Friends!

Trauma Informed Astrology News & Update:

We are excited to announce a number of new and upcoming courses and trainings! To spread the word about these workshops and courses, we are offering free discussion groups in August and September.

We will be offering these Free Discussion Groups August 2nd, 23rd, September 6th & 20th, all of these are at 11:00 AM Eastern Time (Fridays).

To receive the Zoom invite for these Discussion Groups, sign up for our Newsletter here: https://www.traumainformedastrology.com/

In these groups, we will discuss upcoming trainings, events and courses, and then there will be a different topic each week – How to stay grounded and practice quality self-care when working with trauma; What is Resilience & How do we nurture it?; Working with the Functional Range of the nervous system; Obstacles to working with trauma; and more!

There is a Special Offer for people who have signed up for the Newsletter: A One-Hour Individual Trauma Informed Astrology Interpretation. The first 10 people to sign up for it will get a great discount: save 30%! The regular rate is $175 for these in-depth interpretations, the first 10 people will get them for $125! These interpretations will be offered online unless you live in Central Virginia and can come into Kirby’s office for an in-person session. You must schedule this sometime in July or August 2024.

Thank you for joining us and let us know if you have questions!

Kirby Moore & the Trauma Informed Astrology Team

Trauma Informed Fundamentals

Hello Friends,

I am excited to announce that we (the Trauma Informed Astrology team) are inviting a new cohort of participants to learn about Trauma Informed Care, starting in September.

In this 20+ hour training, there are pre-recorded videos to go through, a booklet to review, and then we will come together in monthly Discussion Groups to discuss this vital material and to cover questions and answers. This is professional and formal training. You will go through the training step-by-step, at your own pace, and then come together with the group to share your thoughts and ask questions. Kirby Moore is the primary instructor with Emily Lamoureux providing support as the primary assistant.

There is an Early Bird discount now through August 15th at $900. After the 15th, the price will go up to $1,200.

There will be certificate offered for anyone who goes through the material, passes the exam, and goes through an interview with Kirby:

Successful Completion of the 20 Hour Trauma Informed Fundamentals Training

To see more about this training you can go here: https://www.traumainformedastrology.com/classes

Let us know if you have questions! https://www.traumainformedastrology.com/contact

Kirby & the Trauma Informed Astrology team

Neptune plus Pluto equals a compulsive, challenging ride

Hello Dear Readers,

In this post, I am sharing my personal experience, regarding Western Astrology, and in particular, aspects in my chart. And it primarily has to do with Neptune and Pluto.

Also, instead of only writing about positivity, or writing when I feel really good inside, which was my tendency in the past, I am sharing a bit about the struggle I have been dealing with over the past couple of months.

First, I have Pluto conjunct my Moon in my natal chart – I have the classic Hades Moon. I could do a series of posts about this, so I won’t dwell on it here. Needless to say, I know about Pluto and life-or-death energy, as well as compulsive yearnings, both in my chart and in my personality.

Second, I have a Pisces (Neptune rulership) Sun, in the 8th house (Pluto’s domain). I have Neptune (from my 5th house) square my Pisces Sun in my natal chart. So I have both a lot of Neptune, Pisces, Pluto, and the 8th house.

Transiting planets are stretching me in this moment, and over the past couple of months. Neptune has been transiting right at the end of Pisces, still widely conjunct my natal Sun (5 degrees separating), so that has been in effect for the past 3 years or more.

In addition to this, in my Progressed Chart (Secondary Progression), I have my Progressed Moon squaring transiting Neptune (and my Sun), and I have both my Progressed MidHeaven and Ascendant making hard aspects to my natal Sun. Oh, I might mention that transiting Saturn is also in the mix, in Pisces, conjunct my Sun from the other side (5 degrees approaching).

With all of this said, I have an addictive personality (all I had to do was say Neptune square my Sun…). Some months and years even, it is not an issue, but for the past couple months, it has come back with a vengeance… Leaning into support, taking time to rest down, and just not starting anything which leads to obsession is the way I am dealing with it.

Ooph. Thankfully, I have done a TON of work on myself. I have been extremely fortunate with the teachers and somatic process practitioners in my life, and I have been on the receiving end of hundreds of bodywork, process-work, and therapeutic sessions. I thank my karma everyday. And in spite of all the personal growth work I have done, I am still tempted to regress several times a week.

Most of my vices these days are innocuous. I play board games online, or I write fantasy stories. (I may or may not actually finish this novel one day.) If I get started with either of these pursuits, it is really difficult to stop (Pluto). If I lose a game online, I want to play again – because I am bound to win that one, right?! This gambling tendency is due to Neptune in my 5th house (speculation and playful risk taking).

I realize this is not much to complain about. It is a complete first-world problem. I’m not having a crisis. Overall, I am quite blessed. But I don’t like this swinging back and forth which can happen. And then I beat myself up about it pretty bad.

With all that said, I feel like I am a bit of a wayward Bodhisattva. I am able to benefit many people with my healing and astrological work. I even lead a bi-monthly meditation group. But if my energy levels are swinging up and down, I have some days where I’d rather not see any clients. Yet I do need to pay the bills!

With many aspects to my natal Sun, and a lot involving Neptune, I am more sensitive at the moment. Also, the veils are thinner for me at the moment – the veils between the worlds (in other words, I can occasionally see into the spiritual realms). My meditation practice is more efficacious as a result. I don’t need to sit as long. And I occasionally see unique and unexpected insights regarding my client’s healing process (with what I might call a “second sight”).

I need to be careful however – if I do too much practice, too many mantras for instance, then my inner pendulum swings mightily toward the healing side. A big swing one way leads to a counter swing the other way. And then I am tempted even more to regress.

Pluto alone can lead people to want to have peak experiences – more, more, more! They are not content with the mundane, they want to go further. They don’t want good – they want perfection! Add to this tendency Neptune’s traits of having spiritual experiences, and then you can have a mess on your hands. I only want to have big, huge peak spiritual experiences. I want to “see the light!” I want to have a vision every time I sit on my cushion… Ugh. Thankfully, I am beyond this combination. I am okay with some days having a mediocre meditation session. I am okay with where I am. But this is still a lot of energy and yearnings to keep track of!

Therefore, I am waiting with confident patience. Walking the razor’s edge of an advancing spiritual path. Practicing when I am able. Doing a little at a time. I know that this too shall pass (and I can see when in my chart).

May all sentient beings have the support they need. May they ask for help. And may we all be free of suffering and the causes of suffering!

Please wish me well throughout this trying time. I wish you well with whatever you are holding.

Thanks for reading,

Kirby

Trauma Informed Astrology Membership site is now enrolling New Members!

Hello Friends,

We are very excited to announce that we are accepting New Members at the Trauma Informed Astrology site!

To purchase one of the Three Membership Levels, click here: TIA Member Page

At the moment, we are starting to transfer the videos, courses and other material over. Early bird discount: If you enroll now, you will save 40%! This goes for all levels of Membership!

The Basic Membership includes:

Access to Somatic Exercise videos, monthly Astrology Forecasts, the Paid Newsletter, and a few Astrology Deep Dive videos!

The Coaching Level Membership includes:

All of the Basic Membership perks above. Plus you get access to monthly Live, Online Discussion & Supervision Groups, Increasing Somatic Embodiment Skills videos, and all of the Astrology Deep Dive videos!

The All Access Membership includes:

All of the Coaching Level perks above, and you get access to Intermediate & Advanced Somatic Exercise videos, and you get access to ALL of the Trauma Informed Astrology course videos! This includes more than 30 hours of content currently completed recordings, and we will be adding additional videos every week!

Get access to all of these perks now for a Discounted Rate! Currently, you save 40% on all of the Membership Levels above. After July 20th, the rate will increase.

We will move all the material and videos over to the member pages in the next few weeks. To check the different levels of Membership, click here: Membership Page.

Let us know if you have questions: Contact Us Here

We hope to see you in one of our upcoming Discussion Groups!

Thank you for visiting,

Kirby Moore and the Trauma Informed Team

Big Announcement: Trauma Informed Astrology is shifting to a Membership-based Service

Hello Dear Readers,

We are transitioning Trauma Informed Astrology over to the www.traumainformedastrology.com site entirely. (Instead of working with a teaching/course-based platform.) We are aiming to have this side of the platform ready by July 1st.

This is very exciting. There will be one place to get access to all our courses, all of our somatic tools workshops, discussion groups, supervision groups, astrology forecasts, paid newsletters, and more!

There is a way to save big! We are giving the first 25 people who sign up for the Complete Membership a huge discount. Instead of paying $1,250 for six months of access to ALL of our courses, workshops, forecasts (and more), these lucky people will only pay $750 (a 40% discount). To get this discount, send us a message here: https://www.traumainformedastrology.com/contact See below for more.

There will be three tiers of membership:

Basic Membership, Coaching Membership, and Nurturing Resilience Membership.

Basic Membership will give access to monthly Astrology Forecasts, in-depth explorations into Astrological Aspects, videos for basic Somatic and Embodiment Tools, announcements about courses, and more!

Coaching Membership will give members access to all of the above, plus members will be able to attend monthly live, online discussion groups and supervision groups. They will also have access to Intermediate Somatic and Embodiment Tools videos. In addition, they will have access to some of our short courses, like the Liberating the Space Element course – in this course, Kirby teaches several easy somatic tools to let the nervous system have some breathing space.

The Nurturing Resilience Membership Level will give members access to all of the above, and access to the core Trauma Informed Astrology courses like Level One: Nervous System Foundations, and Level Two: Working with Western Astrology and the Polyvagal System. We have Level One done and ready to go, and we are done with the majority of Level Two (part one). We will be uploading these videos every couple of weeks as they are completed.

If you want to dive into working with Western Astrology and nervous system repair, if you are interested in learning more about seeing and working with trauma in the Astrology Chart, sign up now!

As we mentioned, the first 25 people who sign up will get a 40% discount! This will not last long. Get on the list to get this discount. Send us a message with your contact info expressing that you would like to receive this discount: https://www.traumainformedastrology.com/contact

There is no obligation at this time. We will have the Members Page ready by late June and we will send out invites to everyone who contacted us first. It will be a first-come-first-serve basis, so let us know if this interests you!

After August 1st, the price will go up to $1250 for six months of the Complete Membership package.

Thank you for visiting and we look forward to hearing from you!

Kirby Moore and the Trauma Informed Astrology team

Late Spring 2024 Update: Wedding reception complete, back to Trauma Informed Astrology

Hello Dear Readers,

Jessica and I got married back in December (Yay!!). However, we basically eloped – we only had 3 of our parents at the actual ceremony. So, we decided we would throw a (big for us) party to allow more of our friends and family to participate and witness our union. We had this party in late April.

Most of the people we invited did not read the invitation fully, so they were expecting a wedding celebration (instead of a celebration of our earlier wedding). We did put on a little show for them (not song and dance) – we expressed our love for each other publicly and then had the audience members mention fond memories or give us blessings and well-wishes. One of my heart teachers, a Tibetan Buddhist lama, Drupon Thinley Ningpo also gave us his blessings. It was all SO precious!

Considering I was one of the main organizers for Drupon’s teachings prior to our party, it was all exhausting too. Thankfully, I got to take several days off over the first half of May. I am starting to feel like myself again, that is with a big capacity for work and play. I am being careful though of allowing myself (or saying Yes too often) to get stretched thin.

Now what? You might ask. Well, now I am turning my attention back to Trauma Informed Astrology. We are continuing to work on the Level Two course components. It will also be a pre-recorded video series, so we are making recordings. I have a lot to do – preparing, working on, editing, and then uploading these recordings. It is worth it however. I love teaching (and deepening my learning) around all things Western Astrology, Nervous System Repair, Trauma Resolution and Nurturing Resilience!

Jess and I have some plans to get out of town for a long weekend in June, then a week at the beach with family later in the summer, as well as a yurt trip in September. Hopefully it will be a good balance of work and play, along with time in our huge garden.

Thanks for reading, and I will post more very soon. Stay tuned!

We finished Level One (Trauma Informed Astrology) last year. It is a comprehensive course, covering many topics along with introducing and going through more than ten somatic exercises to come down out of the head and into the body.

You can see more about Trauma Informed Level One – Nervous System Foundations here: https://traumainformedastrology.teachable.com/p/ns-foundations-sales

Discussing “What is healing?” from trauma-informed lens on IG tomorrow!

Hello Friends,

Emily Lamoureux will interview me tomorrow at 10 am Mountain / 12 pm Eastern time on IG. Look for the Trauma Informed Astrology or her Healing with Emily channels. The recording will also be available for a bit if you don’t get there for the live.

We recently completed a great conversation and discussion around What is Healing as we work on the Level Two (part one) Trauma Informed Astrology course. Here are some highlights:

Healing is not being Fixed – we do not get sewn up, we are not free of trauma reminders, we are not done with being triggered. Having expectations like these can be a problem – you will definitely be disappointed.

I have heard people say, “I went through three years of therapy, so that issue is behind me.” If so, that is awesome! But what usually happens is, whether a week or a month later, they will be disappointed. “Aww shucks! I paid all that money for therapy and I’m not healed!” But what about all the insights and nuance you now have access to?

Rather, healing is expanding our capacity, it is having greater compassion for ourselves, after we do good work on ourselves, it will take a stronger trigger to set us off, or at least we will bring more consciousness to the process.

Healing is having greater compassion. When we start to see and own our stuff, taking ownership is very important, then we can discuss it, admit it – “that hurt a lot!” Healing is moving toward intentional vulnerability. It means being honest about our feelings and our needs. Healing is being human. Healing is asking for support.

We hope you can attend tomorrow!!

Kirby